Apparatus for releasing bodies from aircraft.



A. H. GLEDHILL.

APPARATUS FOR RELEASING BODIES FROM AIRCRAFT.

APPLICATION HLED JUNE 5.19m.

Patented Oct. 29, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Pie. 5.

A. H. GLEDHlLL.

APPARATUS FOR RELEASING BODIES FROM AIRCRAFT.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 6,1918.

1,283, 1 5 1 Patented Oct. 29, 1918 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

An'rrrun HENRY GLEDHILL, or HALIFAX, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR RELEASING BODIES FROM AIRCRAFT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 29, 1918.

Application filed June 6, 1918. Serial No. 238,566.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR HENRY GLED- HILL, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Trinity Works, Halifax, in the county of York, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Releasing Bodies from Aircraft, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for releasing bodies from aircraft and is primarily intended for dropping bombs from aeroplanes or other flying machines, the chief object being to provide an improved form of apparatus of the kind in which the bomb or other body, hereinafter referred to as bomb, is suspended from a lever or pivoted arm adapted to bear against a circumferential portion of a rotatably mounted locking piece having a cutaway portion adapted to clear the lever or arm and allow the bomb to drop when the piece is turned through a portion of a revolution.

. The invention consists in the combination with the rotatably mounted locking piece of a second locking piece which positively locks the first mentioned locking piece in its locking position until actuated by the operator. In one modification the second locking piece after being turned through a portion of a revolution acts as a driver to turn the first locking piece until its circumferential portion clears the end of the bomb carrying lever and in another modification the second locking piece is electrically actuated to release the first locking piece whereupon a spring or its equivalent actuates the latter to release the lever and allow the bomb to drop.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a section showing a form of mechanically actuated bomb releasing apparatus constructed in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is an elevation and Fig. 3 a plan showing a similar form of apparatus and means for actuating same electrically.

Fig. 4 shows a modified form of manually actuated bomb releasing apparatus with one of the side plates removed.

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing a modified form of electrically actuated bomb releasing apparatus, and Fig. 6 is a detached view showing an alternative form of mechanism for part of that shown in Fig. 4.

A indicates the bomb carrying lever and B the locking piece which operates in conunction therewith.

The lever A comprises a two armed lever that is pivoted between two plates, one arm a being arranged to hold a link a which holds the bomb o The other arm, or a roller a thereon bears against a circumferential portion of the locking piece B. This locking piece comprises a cylinder or drum having a cut away portion 6 so that when the drum is turned to a certain position in relation to such arm, the lever A can turn through such cut away portion in the known manner and allow the bomb to drop. 'The example shown in Fig. 1 for positively preventing accidental movement of the locking piece B comprises a catch or pawl'b pivoted between the side plates and arranged to abut against a portion of the cut away portion 1;. When the apparatus is actuated mechanically, an arm 12 is loosely mounted about the aXis of the locking piece B and connected with a hand lever or other control member by a Bowden wire. This arm is provided with a tappet b which engages an abutment 7) on thecatch b which lifts the latter clear of the locking piece B during the initial movement of the lever. Further movement of the arm b brings an abutment b thereon into engagement with a pin or projection b on the drum shaft and turns the latter to bring the cut away portion 6 opposite to the lever which then turns under the weight of the bomb and releases the latter. a and 6' indicate springs for returning the lever A and locking piece B to their normal positions after they have been actuated to release a bomb. Situated in front of the lever A. is a plate a (Fig. 1) which just clears the end of the arm a and is beveled or inclined to form a guide a so that when the link a is pushed upward between such beveled portion and the end of the arm, it tilts the latter until it passes the arm whereupon the spring a returns the latter to its normal position. In

the examples shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the l turning movement of the lockin piece B is eflected by an armature b and e ectro-magnet 6 against the action of the spring I), the said armature and electro-magnet being connected with an .electricalrircuit which 15 under the control of the operator by a press button or other appropriate device. In this example the catch 6 is pivoted in the path gage the catch.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4, the arm a of the lever A is made in the form of a jaw. The locking piece; B which controls the lever A is partly formed as one member of a Geneva stop and the arm 6 to which theBowden wire or other actuating connection it is attached, is pivoted on a separate center and is partly "formedas .the other member of the Geneva stop. In this ar-- rangement the interlocking surfaces of the two members positively prevent the lever A from being actuated until the arm 6 is pulled through a considerable arc and the locking piece B positively turned by a tooth 6 to cause the cut away portion 6 on the said locking piece to clear the lever and allow the bomb to drop. Movement of the locking piece in this directionis limited by a tail piece b thereon engaging a peripheral portion 72 of the lever 6 In this arrangement the spring 6' is connected to a portion of the arm 6 andas soon as the parts have been actuatedto release the spring, the spring a maintains the lever A- in the position indicated by thev dot and dash lines, against one of the stays a which connect the two side plates. In this position the lower jaw of the lever-A is clear of a guiding slot a in each side plate, and the upper jaw occupies a position to be engaged by the ring a on the bomb as the latter is lifted into position. The spring 6 turns the arm 72 until the extension 6 on one side thereof rests against a tail piece a on the lever A and prevents the lever 12* returning and locking the piece B until the bomb has been placed in position and the lever A returned to, the position shown in full lines. When the ring on the bomb is pressed against the upper jaw it turns the lever A until the lower jaw passes underneath the ring'and assumes the position shown by the full lines in Fig. 4. During this movement the other end of the said lever passes below the extension 6 and the spring breturns the lever b and locking piece to.

' their normal positions as indicated by the full lines inFig.-4. In the electrically actuated apparatus shown in Fig. 3-, two locking pieces B, B are employed in conjunction with the two armed lever A,'the piece B being actuated by. an electro-magnet b or its equivalent, to release the piece B whereupon Y a spring I) or its equivalent actuates the piece B-to releasethe lever A and allow the bomb to drop." For this purpose the piece B has an abutment 6 adapted to bear against a peripheral portion 6 of the other tro-magnet b which when energized turns.

the piece B to release the other piece B whereupon the spring 6 actuates the lever A to release the bomb. After the lever A has been restored to its original position by lifting another bomb into place as previously described, the locking piece B may be returned to its locking position by a hand lever 6 or such movement may be effected automatically as shown in Fig. 6 by a tumbler lever b actuated by the lever A on I its return movement to engage an abutment 6 on the locking piece B and turn the latter until it is again engaged and held in its locking position by the piece B which returns to its locking position through the weight of the tail piece I)". By the arrangement described the electro-magnet has only to overcome the frictional contact exerted by the abutment 6 against the circumferential portion 6 under the influence of the aforesaid spring which is only a small fraction of that whichis set up between the two armed lever A and the circumferential portion of the piece B by the weight of the bomb and which is overcome by the spring immediately the last mentioned piece is released. The details of construction can be variously modified without departing from the nature of the invention, for example, a one armed bomb carrying lever may be substituted for the two armed lever described and shown, the locking piece in this arrangement engaging with the free end of the lever.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

, 1. In apparatus for releasing bodies from aircraft, a pivoted suspension device, a substantially circular locking piece rotatably mounted, said locking piece having a circumferential portion adapted to retain the suspension device in its suspending position and having a cut away portion adapted to release the suspending device, a second locking piece adapted to maintain the first locking piece positively in its locking position, means for disengaging the second looking piece from the first locking piece, and means for actuating the first locking piece to release the pivoted suspension device.

2. In apparatus for releasing bodies from aircraft, a pivoted suspension device, a substantially circular rotatably mounted locking piece having a circumferential portion adapted to retain the suspension device in its suspending position and having a cut away portion adapted to release the suspending device, a second locking piece adapted to maintain the first locking piece positively in its locking position and also to turn the latter to its releasing position.

, 3. In apparatus for releasing bodies from aircraft, a pivoted suspension device, a rotatably mounted locking piece having a circumferential portion adapted to retain the suspension device in its suspending position and a cut away portion adapted to release the suspension device, a second looking I piece adapted to maintain the first locking piece positively in its locking position, electrical means for disengaging the second locking piecefrom the first and for subsequently disengaging the latter from the suspension device.

,4. In apparatus for releasing bodies from aircraft, a pivoted suspension device, a ro- ARTHUR HENRY GLEDHILL.

Witnesses LOUIS P. Fos'rmz, Cnms rorrmn Noam. 

